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babera_gw

Osmocote. . . is it good

babera
9 years ago

I bought some the other day to try, was wondering if any of you guys use it on your perennials and if so does it have good results. . . compared to using nothing. . .the one I bought is a balanced (14 14 14) fert, but says it is for vegetables and flowers.

Thanks. . .

Comments (14)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    no

    its a product made for the horticultural industry.. which grows things in pots...

    i am totally adverse to using it in mother earth ..

    it is sold in 3.. 4.. 6.. and nine month release ...

    in z5.. your active growing season is basically only 4 months... so 6 and 9 could be very problematic ... [june thru mid sept]

    things should be slowing down in fall.. not speeding up.. due to a late release of fert ...

    and things that dont slow down.. harden off properly.. can die.. rot.. etc ...

    frankly.. its not worth the premium cost... you probably could have got a 50 pound sack of generic 14 cubed for the same price ...

    ken

  • babera
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Well. . . .that makes good sense Ken. . . is there a better recommendation?

  • gardenper
    9 years ago

    I use one which I think was a 4-month release, which is about the time I actively am working in the garden. I haven't noticed a difference when using it for veggies, flowers, or other plants.

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    9 years ago

    I'm adding a combo of organic Alfalfa and greensand to a few things this spring. I've had good luck with the Alfalfa for roses in the past and the greensand is a new addition this year.

    Espoma makes organic fertilizers which I've used in the past. I'm experimenting with my own mixtures at the moment and won't see the results for awhile, but if I were buying commercial fertilizer I'd probably stick to Espoma. They have different blends for different applications.

  • moliep
    9 years ago

    Same feelings for me regarding Espoma, though we don't fertilize much.... prefer to use compost to amend the soil each season.

  • gardenweed_z6a
    9 years ago

    I've never tried it. I have healthy soil--sandy loam--and am fortunate that my folks practiced organic gardening here going back to 1960. I haven't found that perennials & shrubs needed any supplemental nutrients almost since I moved here in 2005. I'm not bragging or gloating, just thankful I haven't been tempted to use anything other than seaweed extract or fish emulsion back when I didn't know any better.

    Not everything thrives or survives but I normally don't lay the blame on soil nutrients (or the lack thereof). Generally I find there are other reasons why a particular plant didn't survive. I tend to overlook things like 'short-lived perennial' when reading plant information.

  • monarda_gw
    9 years ago

    I have read that it only works when the temps go above 70 degrees. I think it is good in pots. The objection most people have to it is that it is too expensive.

  • terrene
    9 years ago

    I made my own potting mix for containers this year. This is because someone gave me a couple of big bags of spaghum peat moss, and it didn't make sense to let them go unused. I added perlite, lime, and Osmocote to the peat moss. It seems to be working well as a potting mix - looks just like Pro-mix!

    However, in the yard and in the soil I garden organically. Mostly I use compost to fertilize the perennials and gardens. Occasionally I will use an organic granular fertilizer for perennials, and for bulbs, rhizomes, etc. I like to sprinkle in some organic bulb fertilizer (from Gardens Alive).

  • babera
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    terrene, may I ask what the name of the organic granular fertilizer is you use?

    Also, to those of you recommending compost, I do top dress with bagged manure or Glacier Gold if I'm feeling rich. . .good choices? Are there better ones I could be using?
    Thanks. . .

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    9 years ago

    I use Osmocote on my annual plantings (in pots and in the ground). It works great, but it is expensive.

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    9 years ago

    I use Osmocote on my annual plantings (in pots and in the ground). It works great, but it is expensive.

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    9 years ago

    I use only compost and mulch on my soil, and timed release fertilizer for containers only. You do not build good soil in a year or two but you will if you keep it up. Every year you will notice the improvement. Al

  • terrene
    9 years ago

    Babera, saw your question a couple days ago, but just getting back. For a few years now I've used "Perennials Alive" and "Bulbs Alive" from Gardens Alive. I bought 5 lb bags and they've lasted a long time, but the bulbs is getting down there so time for some more. In the past I've also used some Espoma products, such as Garden-tone.

    Most perennials seem to do okay with a top-dress of compost each year. Others grow better in lean soil and don't need any fertilizer at all. Over-fertilizing can result in floppy growth and too much foliage and too few flowers.

    For bulbs, I sprinkle in some "Bulbs Alive" when planting or transplanting, in addition to whatever compost is spread in the garden. They seem to bloom better, I even get half-decent blooms from the oriental Hyacinths (those that survived the onslaught of voles 2 years ago that is).

  • Embothrium
    9 years ago

    Fertilizing is for specific times when nutrients are known to be needed, like when somebody has a vitamin deficiency. And likewise if your soil is low in one nutrient and you apply a product that has lots of another, you are buying and putting on that other nutrient for nothing - same as somebody trying to correct a particular vitamin deficiency with a multivitamin product.

    And if you overdo one of them you can poison your plants and soil. Phosphorus, for instance is often over-applied and does not leach well at all - if you put on too much of it you may have to dig out and replace your soil to get rid of the toxic condition so produced.

    In my area cultivated soils typically only become low in N. If I was using 14-14-14 year after year I'd be putting on a bunch of P and K I didn't need.

    This post was edited by bboy on Sun, Apr 27, 14 at 13:38